Valve pbotectiitg and opekating device fob pneumatic tires



Nov. 13 1923.

w. R. ROYER VALVE PROTECTING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES w m M W I V i W W m M g R. A w 1 3 0 0 0w W m 2 3 1 u a m, a G 9 J 6 a w 1 W 5 t 14, ,H g WM 1 fi/ i 3 m 2 w 3 4i 3 IYW 2 a2 IHWW L 1&1 2 7 B M E 1| n1 :lfi 1 1 \l )HH) W 2 M R H 7 4 1 3. 2 \59 09 7 0 w %2 2 2 m 1 1 Patented Nov. 13, 1923.

UNITED STATEE WILLIAM R. BUYER, O1! WILKES'BARRE, PENNSYLVANIA.

VALVE PROTECTING AND OPERATING DEVICE FOR PNEUMATIC TIRES.

Application filed Kay 21, 1920, Burial No. 883,119. Renewed February 21, 1988.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILniaM R. Rom, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Wilkes-Barre, in the county of Luzerne and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Valve Protecting and O crating Devices for Pneumatic Tires, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

In pneumatic tires it is customary to cover the valve stem (extending throu h the folloe) with a dust cap screwed on 51c stem to protect the valve mechanism from injury, but such caps are often lost, or the user forgets to rep ace them after removal for inflating the tires. with the result that the next time the tire is inflated the valve longer fails to seat properly and the air oaks slowly away. The iresent invention is designed to obviate suc trouble. and accor ingly its chief object is to provide a cap which need not be removed to permit inflation ofthe tire but which nevertheless can be readily taken of! for inspection or repair of the valve parts. To these and at or ends the invention consists in the novel features and combinations hereinafter described.

One form of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawin in which- Fig. 1 is o. si e view of t e complete do vice in normal or closed position.

Fig. 2 is a detail side view of the upper portion of the device, showing the depressible member threaded outside to accommodate a protecting cap if desired. or to receive the threaded coupling of on air-hose.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section oi the complete device in normal or closed position.

Fig. 3 is a detail sectional view of one of the parts shown in Fig. 3.

Figs. 4. 5, 6 and 7 are detail sectional views. on the same plane as Fig. 3, showing various positions 0 the deprcssihle valveactuating member.

Fig. 8 is a sectional plan view on line 8-8 of Fig. 5.

In the construction shown. the threaded valve stem 10 is covered by an outer tubular casing composed of a lower part 11 and an upper port 12. threaded together so that the casing can be lengthened or shortmed to fit valve stems of different lengths. The lower member 11 screws on the stem, as indicated. The upper member has at its top a flange 13 cooperating with a flange 14 on the tubular member or extension 15 which is screwed on the top of the valve stem and presses firmly upon a yielding asket 16 seated on the valve stem shoulder 1 When the collar 12 is screwed down it has the effect of a lock-nut, holding the art. 15 against accidental loosening as will e readily understood, but when the collar is removed the part 15 can be unscrewed to ive access to t e valve parts for examine ion and replacement.

The extension 15 is in the form of an inverted cup,having in its top 1.5 an angular opening 15 constituting an air port and adapted to receive and hold against rotation an angular stem or rod 18, which may, however, be moved longitudinally in said opening. The stem is fluted to permit the flow of air into and out of the cup. At its lower end it has a small valve head 19 covered by a yieldin washer 20 so that when the stem is raise by its sprin r 21, as in Fig. 3, a tight joint will be mate around the opening through which the stem extends. The upper head 22, rigidly fixed on the stem, is a transversely elongated member having its ends threaded to cooperate with threads out on the inside of a ca 23 which is adapted to slide inside of a co lar 24 screwed on or otherwise secured to the top of the cup 15, the collar and cup forming together a tubular memberhaving between its inner and outer ends a transverse septum 15 provided with an opening 15 (through'whlch the rod or stem 18 works) constitutin on air port. As Shown. the inner end 0 the tubular member is threaded. to screw down u on the valve stem 10. Between the on an the collar is a yielding washer 25, an under the cap is yielding washer 26.

In the position shown in Fig. 3 the cap 23 is screwed down firmly upon the gasket 26. bringing: the opening 27 into engagement with the heve led to of the head 22 and effectually closing Stilt o ening against admission of dust or other oreign matt r.

When it is desired to inflate or deflate the tire (not shown) the cup 23 is rotated counterclockwise, that is, unscnewed. Since the rod 18 cannot rotate, and since it cannot rise by reason of the lower head 19, the cap alone is raised, sa to the position shown in Fig. 4, in whic the washer 25 is compressed between the collar-flange 28 and the cap-flange 29. If now the usual connecting fitting (not shown) on the air-hose is pressed down upon the cap the latter will be depressed, say to the position shown in Fig. 5, in which the head 19 has en aged and depressed the valve plunger 30, igs. 3 and 4, thereby o ening the valve for the admission of air. pon removing the air-hose the s ring 21 raises the stem 18 (and with it t e cap 23), thereby permitting the valve plunger to seat again. To deflate the tire the cap is unscrewed to the position shown in Fig. 4 and the rotation continued. Since the cap can no lon r rise, the stem or rod 18 must descend, nally reaching the position shown in Fig. 7, in which the air-valve plunger is fully depressed and held, thus keeping the air-valve open until the cap is screws down a ain.

In inflating t e tire with a single acting or an intermittently operating pump, the air-valve should close after each stroke of the piston to prevent escape of the air reviously forced into the tire. With sue a pump the cap 23 is raised about to the position shown in Fig. 6, where it will be seen that the stem 18 is depressed by unscrewing the cap) till its head is slig tl above the valve plunger 30. The pump use is now screwed to the cap. Then on the compression stroke of the pump the air under pressure flows down along stem 18 into the cup or chamber 15, and the air-valve is opened by the pressure of the air; but on the suction stroke the plunger 30, not being held down, can rise and close the valve against escape of air.

To close the device after use, the cap 23 is simply screwed down to its normal position, as in Fig. 3. This raises the stem or rod 18 and brings the washer 20 u firmly on the aperture through which t e stem works, thereby closing the same and efi'ectually preventing the escape of air or ingress of foreign matter. At the same time the upper head 22 is seated in the opening 27, thus preventing admission of grit, water, or the like and completely protecting the enclosed parts.

From the foregoing it will be seen that my invention provides a dust-cap which effectively protects the valve, an yet without removal permits opening of the valve to any desired extent for inflation or deflation. It also is readily removable, by onscrewing the collar 12 and chamber 15, whenever necemary to examine or renew the valve insides.

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific construction herein illustrated and described but can be embodied in other forms without departure from its spirit.

I claim as my invention:

1. The combination with the valve stem of able in the top of the cup to depress the airvalve plun er, and manual means for locking said p unger-operating stem in inoperative osition or releasing it, at will.

3. he combination with the valve stem of a pneumatic tire, having an air-valve plunger of an inverted cu mounted on the valve stem, a non-rotatab e plunger-operating stem slidable through. the top of the cup to depress the air-valve plunger, and a rotat able cap having screw-thread connection with the plunger-operating stem to shift the same longitudinally.

4. A device for the purpose described, comprising in combination, a chamber open at the bottom and adapted for attachment to a valve stem, a non-rotatable plungeroperating stem slidable through the top of the chamber, a rotatable and longitudinally movable cap arranged over the valveoperating stem outside of said chamber, a head on the valve-operating stem having threaded connection with the cap, and a spring adapted to raise said cap and stem.

5. A device for the purpose described, comprising in combination, a chamber adapted for securement on a valve stem, a non-rotatable plungeropcrating stem slid able through the top of said chamber, an apertured internally threaded cap arranged on said chamber and enclosing the outer portion of said stem, a collar cooperating with said cap to retain the same in place but permitting rotary and longitudinal movement thereof, a threaded head on the plunger-operating stem engaging the threads in said cap, said head also being adapted to close the aperture in the ca when the latter is screwed down on the head and a spring for raising the cap and stem as the former is unscrewed.

6. The combination with a. pneumatic tire valve-stem having an air-valve plunger; of means seated over the end of the vaive-stem for operatin the air-valve plunger, said means'comprising a longitudinally shiftable rod in alignment with the plunger; and a longitudinally shiftable casing arranged over the valve-stem and having screwthreaded connection with the shiftable rod to prevent accidental movement of the latter.

7. In a device for the purpose described, the combination with a pneumatic tire valve stem having a valve plunger, of a cap seated on the end of the valve-stem, a rod movable longitudinally through the outer end of the cap to depress the said valve plunger; a spring normally holding the said rod in raised position; a second cap associated with the first and adjustable relatively thereto to depress said rod and thereby depress the said valve plunger, said second cap enclosing the rod and spring and having an airport; and a closure for said airport shiftable out of the port to open the same by movement of the second named. cap.

8. The combination with a pneumatic tire valve stem having an air valve plunger; of a tubular member screwed down on the end of the valve and hermetically sealed thereto, and having between its ends a transverse septum provided with an air portfor the flow of air to and from the valve stem; a non-rotatable rod shift-able longitudinally of the tubular member for operating the air valve plunger and having an inner valvehead to cooperate with said air port; an in verted rotatable cup shiftable longitudinally in the outer portion of the tubular member and having an air port in line with said rod; an outer head on the rod to cooperate with the last mentioned air port and having screw-threaded connection with said cup, whereby said rod may be shifted longitudinally in both directions by rotation of the cup; and a spring between the outer head and said septum to urge the rod and (up outwardly.

9. The combination with a pneumatic tire valve stem having an air valve plunger; of a tubular member screwed down on the valve stem and hermetically sealed thereto. and having an air iort between its ends; a nonrotatable rod s iftahle longitudinally within said tubular member to depress the air valve plunger; a valve head associated with said rod to close and open said air port as the rod is shifted; an inverted rotatable cup fitted. to the outer portion of the tubular member and shiftable longitudinally thereof; and means associated with the rod and having screw thread connection with the cup. whereby rotation of the cup in one direction will draw the rod outwardly and seat the valve head firmly and rotation in the opposite direction will permit inward HHHQHlt'Ili of the rod to open said air port.

10 The combination with a mountain tire valve stem: of :1 tubular mendm w'ltYCtli down upon tin xrilh hen lull lo div sealed thereto, and havin an air port between its ends; a valve head cooperating,' with said port to close and open the same; a longitudinally shiftablc rod connected with the valve head to actuate the same; a sprin associated with the rod to urge the same MK the valve head outwardly to seat the valve head yieldingly; and manually rotatable means having screw-thread connection with the rod to urge the same positively outward and hold the same in outer position with the valve head seated firmly.

11. The combination with a. pneumatic tire valve stem having an air valve longer; of a tubular member mounted Ont e valve stem and having an air rt between its ends; a longitudinally sli iftable rod to actuate said plunger, havin a head on its outer end and having on its inner end a valvc-heaiil cooperating with said air port to close and open the Same; a sprin in the outer portion of the tubular mem er, between the air port and the outer head on the rod, to urge th rod outwardly and seat the valve head yieldingly; and manually rotatable means adapted to releaaably hold the rod in its outer position with the valve head sea-ted positively.

12. An appliance for the valve stem of a pneumatic tire, compriain in combination, a tubular member internal y threaded at one end to screw down upon the valve stem and hav ng an a p rt between its ends; a rod shiftable longitudinally in the outer porlion of the tubular member and having on its inner end a valve head to cooperate with said air art; a spring in the outer portion of the to )Ulfll' member to urge the rod out- \vardly and seat the valve head yieldingly' and manually rotatable means associat with the rod to positively urge the same outwardly and seat the valve head firmly against accidental displacement.

13. An appliance for the valve stem of a pneumatic tire, comprising, in combination a tubular member having one and threaded inside to screw down u on the valve item, and having an air port ietwecn its ends; a vulvohcad cooperating with the air port to close and open the same; a longitudinall shift-able rod ronnwted with the valve head to actuate the $111111; a spring associated with the rod to urge the same outwardly and seat tlnvalve head yielding] and means for ositively urging the va vv. head and rod. ontwardlv to seat the former firmly against ult'lllt'llitll displacement, said means includin; an operating member fitted in the outer end oi the said tubular member and menually rotatable therein.

1 1. An appliance for the valve stem of a urumututire comprising in combination, a tubular lll llllltl threaded internally atone Hid lo it-u down upon the valve stem, and inn n *i poi-t between its ends; a valve Hill head cooperating with the air port to close and'open the same; a lon itudinally shiftable rod associated with the valve head to actuate the same; a spring acting to urge the rod and the valve head yieldingly outward to close the air port; a longitudinally shifta'ble non-rotatable member connected with the valve head and rod to urge the valve head positively outward and hold the same firml seated; and a manually operable mem r fitted in the outer end of the tubular member and connected with the longitudinally shiftable member to actuate the latter.

In testimony whereof I hereto afiix my signature.

WILLIAM R. ROYER. 

